Hickman County Board of Education
Descriptor Term:
Descriptor Code:
Issued Date:
4.700
10/21/24
Testing Programs
Rescinds:
Issued:
4.700
10/02/23
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The Board shall provide for a system-wide testing program which shall be periodically reviewed and
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evaluated. The purposes of the program shall be to:
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1. Assist in promoting accountability;
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2. Determine the progress of students;
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3. Assess the effectiveness of the instructional program and student learning;
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4. Aid in counseling and guiding students in planning future education and other endeavors;
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5. Analyze the improvements needed in a given instructional area;
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6. Assist in the screening of students with learning difficulties;¹
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7. Assist in placing students in remedial programs;
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8. Provide information for college entrance and placement; and
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9. Assist in educational research by providing data. 2
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The director of schools shall be responsible for planning and implementing the program, which includes:
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1. Determining specific purposes for each test;
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2. Selecting the appropriate test to be given;
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3. Establishing procedures for administering the tests;
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4. Making provision for interpreting and disseminating the results;
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5. Maintaining testing information in a consistent and confidential manner; and
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6. Ensuring that results are obtained as quickly as possible, especially when placement in a
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special learning program might be necessary.
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State-mandated student testing programs shall be undertaken in accordance with procedures published
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by the State Department of Education 3
Version Date: October 20, 2026
Testing Programs
4.700
1
The director of schools may exclude Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program scores from
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students' final grades if scores are not received by the district at least five (5) instructional days before
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the end of the school year. 4,5
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TNReady⁴ and EOC⁵ scores will be included in students' final grades as follows:
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a) Grades 3-5 - 5% of the final grade for the spring semester
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b) Grades 6-8 - 10% of the final grade for the spring semester
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c) Grades 9-12 - 15% of the final grade for the spring semester
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EOC scores will be incorporated into a student's report card using the target score method that compares
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the student score to the distribution of the class. The director of schools may exclude end-of-course
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(EOC) scores from students' final grades if scores are not received by the district at least five (5)
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instructional days before the end of the course.⁴,⁵
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Before being included in the students' final grades, end-of-course (EOC) test scores will be converted
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using the scale score linear transformation formula. This formula converts scale scores into quick
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scores and uses three stages. to a 100 point scale using the Target Score Method, which adjusts each
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student's score based on the average of all students in the class in the county. The conversion is
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calculated as follows:
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19 100%
20 100 F
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Where, for a specific subject:
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SEOC - the student's EOC score, converted to a 100 point scale using the Target Score Method
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Pearned- - points earned by the student on the EOC test
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Possible™ maximum points possible on the EOC test
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F scaling factor
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Savg - the average classroom grade for all Hickman County Students in the class
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Pavg the average points earned on the EOC test for all Hickman County students in the class
Scale Score Linear Transformation
This formula converts Scale Scores into Quick Scores and uses three stages:
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Testing Programs
4.700
1. Scores below the Level 3 cut score (SS < Level 3 Cut SS)
2. Scores above the Level 3 cut score (SS >= Level 3 Cut SS, SS < 450)
3. The minimum score (the lowest obtainable scale score = 200)
4. The maximum score (the highest obtainable scale score = 450)
SS - 200
84 X
SS < Lvl 3 Cut SS
3 Cut SS - 200
SS - Lvl 3 Cut SS
Quick Score =
84 + 15 X
SS ≥ Lvl 3 Cut SS,SS < 450
Second Highest Observable SS * - Lvl 3 Cut SS
100
SS = 450
Second Highest Observable SS* = the highest observable student scale score below the maximum
scale score (450).
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INTEREST INVENTORIES AND CAREER ASSESSMENTS6
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Interest inventories shall be made available to 9th graders. These will include assessments such as the
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Kuder assessment, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the ASVAB, or the College Board Career Finder.
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Career aptitude assessments shall be administered to 8th graders in order to inform the student's high
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school plan of study. Upon receiving the results from these assessments, the school shall provide students
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with information on any available career and technical education opportunities in which the student is
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eligible to participate in.
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TESTING INFORMATION AND PARENTAL CONSENT
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Any test directly concerned with measuring student ability or achievement through individual or group
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psychological or socio-metric tests shall not be administered by or with the knowledge of any employee
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of the system without first obtaining written consent of the parents or guardians.²
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Results of all group tests shall be recorded on the students' permanent records and shall be made
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available to appropriate personnel in accordance with established procedures.⁷
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No later than July 31 of each year, the Board shall publish on its website information related to state
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and board mandated tests that will be administered during the school year. The information shall
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include:⁸
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1. The name of the test;
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2. The purpose and use of the test;
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3. The grade or class in which the test will be administered;
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4. The tentative date or dates that the test will be administered;
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5. The time and manner in which parents and students will be notified of the results of the test;
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6. How parents can access the questions and answers on their student's state-required tests; and
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Testing Programs
4.700
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7. If a board mandated test, how the test complements and enhances student instruction and
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learning and how it serves a purpose distinct from state-required test.
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Beginning with the 2015-2016 school year and for school years thereafter, the testing information shall
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also be placed in student handbooks or other school publications that are provided to parents on an
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annual basis.
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HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT EXAM FOR ELIGIBLE COURSES9
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The Director of schools is authorized, but not required, to develop credit exams for eligible courses
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designated by the Tennessee State Board of Education. I Any credit exams must be developed and
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implemented in accordance with this policy.
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Recognizing that credit exams are a substitute for taking an eligible course, any credit exams must
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cover the entirety of Tennessee course standards. Traditional final exams are not sufficient for this
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policy unless the final exam is aligned to and measures proficiency in the entire course content. Credit
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exams will be offered at the end of the semester in which the eligible course is taught.
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A student in grades 9-12 who is not enrolled in an eligible course may earn credit towards graduation
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by scoring a least 80 on the credit exam. The grade will be computed in the student's GPA. A student
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may take a credit exam only once per course, and the student may earn up to four credits toward
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graduation.
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At the end of the school year, the Director of Schools will provide to the Tennessee Department of
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Education a copy of any credit exam that may have been developed for an eligible course as well as
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data pertaining to how many students took credit exams, in what subjects were exams administered,
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and how many students were successful in the exams.
Legal References
Cross References
1.
TCA 49-10-108
Student Surveys, Analyses, and Evaluations 6.4001
2.
20 USCA $ 1232g
Student Records 6.600
3.
TRR/MS 0520-01-03-.03(10)
4.
TCA 49-1-617; State Board of Education Policy
2.102
5.
TRR/MS 0520-01-03-.03(10): State Board of
Education Policy 2.103: TCA 49-1-617
6.
TCA 49-6-412
7.
TCA 10-7-504(a)(4)(A)
8.
TCA 49-6-6007: State Board of Education Policy
2.102: State Board of Education Policy 2.103
9.
TRR/MS 0520-07-01-.03(3)
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## Table 1

|  | Hickman County Board of | Education |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | Descriptor Term: Testing Programs | Descriptor Code: 4.700 | Issued Date: 10/21/24 |
|  |  | Rescinds: 4.700 | Issued: 10/02/23 |

## Table 2

|  | Legal References | Cross References |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1. | TCA 49-10-108 | Student Surveys, Analyses, and Evaluations |
| 2. | 20 USCA $ 1232g | 6.4001 Student Records 6.600 |
| 3. | TRR/MS 0520-01-03-.03(10) |  |
| 4. | TCA 49-1-617; State Board of Education Policy 2.102 |  |
| 5. | TRR/MS 0520-01-03-.03(10): State Board of Education Policy 2.103: TCA 49-1-617 |  |
| 6. | TCA 49-6-412 |  |
| 7. | TCA 10-7-504(a)(4)(A) |  |
| 8. | TCA 49-6-6007: State Board of Education Policy 2.102: State Board of Education Policy 2.103 |  |
| 9. | TRR/MS 0520-07-01-.03(3) |  |